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(NoModel.) 1 v A W. R. ANDREWS.

u MAIL CRANE. l y No. 358,103. Patented Feb. 22, 1887.

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' DNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

VILBERT R. ANDREWS, OF LA JUNTA, COLORADO.

MAIL-CRANE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,103, dated February 22, 1887.

Application filed October 1Q, 1886. Serial No. 216,042.

To @ZZ whom it 77mg concern.-

Be it known that l, WILBERT B. ANnREws, a citizen of the United States, residing at La J unta, in the county of Bent and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Cranes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to railway-mail-service appliances; and its object is to improve the construction and increase the efliciency of the cranes which are used to support the mailbags in position to be caught by a passing train. As ordinarily constructed these cranes consist cfa post with one or two arms orjibs swinging in a horizontal plane, on which the mail-bag is hung. In order that the bag may be on a level with the cardoor, it is necessary to suspend it so high from the ground that a platform or a short ladder is required to enable the agent to hang it on the jib of the crane. My invention provides for raising and lowering the crane, so as to dispense with this platform orladder. Furthermore, unless some means is afforded for locking the crane at right angles to the track, it is liable to be blown about by the wind out of reach ofthe gripper on the niail-car. Such locking device, however, must be capable of yielding to allow the crane to swing around out of the way when the bag is struck by the gripper; and on singletrack roads it must be so arranged as to yield to trains passing in either direction. There should also be means for retaining the crane with the jibs or arms parallel with the track when not in use, to prevent its being accidentally swung out into the way of passing trains.

My invention aims to accomplish all these objects, and to this end it consists of certain combinations and arrangements of parts composing an adjustable revolving mail-crane, as hereinafter describcd,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawi1igs,forming part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved crane. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a portion of the main post or standard, the sliding bracket, and the lower end of the revoluble post. view of the sliding bracket.

Fig. o is a plan Fig. et is a plan (No model.)

upper end, and it is steadied and braced by 6o guy-rods a a a, the upper ends of which pass through iianges on the cap C, where they are tightened by suitable nut-s, while their lower ends are anchored in the ground two or three feet from the base-plate B.

The crane proper is composed of two arms 0r jibs, D E, for supporting the mail-bag, car ried on a revoluble post, F,which turns freely in bearings in the cap C, and in a verticallyadjustable bracket, G. The post F projects above the cap C, as shown, in order to allow it to be lowered withoutbeing drawn out from its bearing in said cap. The upper arm, D, is rigidly held in position at right angles to the post by a brace, Z). The lower arm, E, is inserted in a socket, e, which is fitted to slide upon the revoluble post F, and may be retained at any point by the set-screw c', being prevented from turning on the post bya spline, f, attached to or formed integral with the post. The arms and post may advantageously be formed of iron pipe, as indicated in the drawings.

The adjustable bracket G, which supports the revoluble post F, is preferably made of cast-iron, in substantially the form shown. It has an eye, g, which fits the main post A, and a groove, g', engaging with the spline A on the main post, keeps the bracket from swiveling or turning on the post. A set-screw, g2, serves to secure the bracket'at any desired height.

The bracket is provided with two flanges, GiGZ, projecting from the upper and lower edges of the web G, which jnts out from one side of the eye g. The lower flange, G2, eX- tends beyond the upper one, being substantially semicircular in shape, and preferably having its upper corner cliamfered away, as shown. Near its center is a hole, F, in which is stepped the lower end of the revoluble post F.

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In the pocket between the flanges G G2 and the web G3 is seated a spring, H. Fig. 5 gives an edge view of this spring, which is made of a flat strip of steel, and is somewhat similar in shape to an oX-yoke. A hook, h, at each end of the spring engages with the end of the web G3, and prevents any lengthwise displacement ofthe spring, whiletwo bolts, h', passi n gthrou gh both flanges G G2 in front of the hooks h, keep the spring from slipping out of the pocket in which it rests. In front of each bolt is a protcctingplate, h2. The purpose of this spring is to yieldingly lock the revoluble post F when it is turned so as to bring the j ibs or arms D E into position to deliver the mailbag to the catcher on a mail-car, as shown in Fig. 1. This is accomplished by a holdingdog, I, which is secured upon the lower portion of the post F and rests on the ange G2. The rear end of this dog is rounded, and its length is such that when the post F is turned to swing the jihs D E out at right angles with the railroad-track the dog presses against the front face of the spring H and forces it back into its pocket in the bracket. rI he end of the dog is cut away at t', preferably in a curved line, to form a rounded notch, z", as shown, in which the central curve of thespring seats itself when the dog is at right angles to the same and holds the dog and post F quite rmly in this position, although a smart pull Y on the arms or on the dog will crowd the spring back and allow the post to turn in either direction. The other end of the dog is provided with a slot, i2, in which is pivoted a latch, K, which rides upon the chamfered edge of the iange G2. When the post F is turned to bring the arms D E parallel with the track, the latch K drops into one or the other of two notches, g3, in the iiange G2, and retains the post and arms in that position.

The bracket G, post F, j ibs D E, dog I, and latch K are counterbalanced by a weight, L, which slides in the hollow main post A, and is connected with the bracket by a chain or rope, M, passing over a pulley, N, in the housing O, which is fastened to the main post.

At any convenient place is provided a hook, I), upon which may be suspended a lantern or other signal, which is preferably located at about the same height as the mail-bag, in order to aid the mail-clerk who manipulates the gripper.

The operation of my improved mail-crane is as follows: The arms D E being parallel with the track, the operator loosens the setscrew g2 and pulls down the bracket G, which brings the arms D E within reach, thus obviating the necessity of mounting a platform or aladder to get at them. The mail-bag is now suspended between the upper and lower `iibs, the latter being adjusted up or down on the post F to suit the length of the bag. The bracket G is then slid up until the bag is at the proper height to be caught by the gripper on the mail-car. The latch K is then lifted out of the notch g3, and the post F is turned until the arms D E are at right angles with the track, when the spring H seats itself in the notch z" in the dog I, and holds the arms securely in this position against displacement by high winds or other accidental causes. Vhen the bag is struck by the gripper, the force of the blow disengages the concave end of the dog from the spring H and throws the arms around parallel with the track. When the dog strikes the plate h2, the latch K drops into the notch g, which prevents the arms from rebounding and locks them out of the way of passing trains and safe from being blown about by t-he wind.

Having thus Vdescribed my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent, is-

= l. rIhe combination, with a main post, of a vertically-ad] ustable crane having two j ibs, one of which is vertically adjustable, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a main post provided with a cap, of a vertically-adjustable bracket carried on. said post, and a crane mounted in bearings in said cap and bracket, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination', with a main post provided with a cap, of a vertically-adjustable bracket carried on said post, a crane mounted in bearings in said cap and bracket, andmeans for yieldingly locking said crane at right angles with the railroad-track substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with a main post provided with a cap, of a vertically-adjustable bracket carried on said post, a crane mounted in bearings in said cap and bracket, means for yieldingly locking said crane at right angles with the railroad-track, and means for retaining said crane parallel with the track when not in use, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with a mail-crane, of a dog rigidly secured to the post of the crane and having a cut-away portion at one end,and a spring bearing against the end of said dog and adapted to engage with the cutaway portion to yieldingly lock the crane, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, with the main post A, of the bracket G, a spring, H, seated in said bracket,and a revoluble post, F, stepped in said bracket and provided with a dog, I, bearing against said spring H, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, withthe main post A, of the bracket G, having the ange G, provided with a notch, g3, the iiat spring H, the revoluble post F, having arms DE, and a dog, I, provided with the notch t" and latch K, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination, with the main post A, having cap C, of the vertically-adjustable bracket G, the counter-balance L, the post F,

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having the xed jib D, and the adjustable jib the ends of the web G3, the bolts 7L', the post 1o E, said post being stepped in the bracket G F, and the dog I, bearing against said spring, y

and sliding in a bearing in the cap C, subsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth. stantially as and for the purpose set forth. in witness whereof I have hereunto set my 9. The combination, with the main post A, hand in the presence of two Witnesses. of the adjustable bracket G, having the ilange G', web G3, and ange G2, the flat spring H, seated in the pocket formed by said web and flanges, with its hooked ends 7L resting against WILBERT R. ANDREWS. Vitnesses:

E. C. WARD, D. M. SAMUEL. 

